Rotary bunching and conveyer machine



' March 24, 1931. D. SPAU LDING ET AL ROTARY BUNCHING AND CONVEYER MACHINE Filed June 4, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYS.

March 24, 1931.

L. D. SPAULDING ETAL ROTARY suucmus AND CONVEYER mxcrmm Filed June 4, 19 28 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11/ r Ill/ I Lr wIsnsPAULDIiwG,

Patented Mar. 24-, 1931 MERGER n. :srAUnDING, MALCOLM'F, v srnunm v nnn nnwxszo. SPAULDING, OF'SIRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS" Y x 7 ROTARY UNCHINGAND oo va Y n-MAcH'mE] Y nppl ication filed June 4, 1928." Seria1 ma m 1 j Our invention relates to machines adapted to vexpedite theassortment and packing of certain classes of veget m s and other room: Inodities adapted to behandled' for shipment .6 in a similar manner; an object beingin this device to provide a' machine especially prepared for'bun chin'g and conveying asparagus when packing thes'ame' for shipment.

1 A further object of our device is .to provide 10 a rotary 'bunching and conveyer machine equipped" for operation on one or' more.

levels and a machine that will be easily operated, convenient to use and eeonomlc to manufacture.

A further object of our devicevisto provide rotaryybunching' and 'conveyer machine equipped with a pivotally mountedfrotatable shelf or table adapted tobe optionally rotated by hand for carrying supplies of vegetables, especially asparagus and the like to points about the table where they may be from time 0 time needed during the bunching and con ,veying operation. We attain the objectsiof' our nventlon 1n 5 thedevice described inlthe annexed specification, recited in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying 'draWingsin-whichlike reference numerals indicate like parts the several figures."

5 Referring to the figures:

chanical operation of ounmachine; )In this figure is shown a pivoted and independently rotatable table or shelf provided as a con- I venience' for conveying supplies of materials to be bunched to any desired positionabout th table, qu k y: 4 f s v Fig.2 is a perspective showing ajpartial peripheral: a l";-

, section andaportion of the rangement of ourmachine. i

v Fig.3 is a detail perspective, of a portion of theannular peripheral construction of of the beveledouter edgeof the machine. i Fig. 6L is a top .view of anassorting table section of our machine further details of Referring to the details ofstructur'eoflour I i Fig. 1 is a top View of the deviceofiour ward, and primitiveimethods of assorting, 5

ourmachine showing in this sketch howj as; paragus vfor instance may. be bunched in one of the pockets orrecesses in the parallel ribs Vpedit'ing the process of assorting asparagus and the like before the same is removed from theassorting boxes and bunched on the bunch ing machine shown inFig. 1. I

Fig. 5 is a representation of atying ma chine adapted tobe used for tyingjthe bunches of asparagus or other'commodities of' simif larshape before the same are packed intheir shipping boxes, I

Fig. '6 isa top view of a double and conveyer machine showing a possiblearrangementinvolving thedetails inwhich are found the meritsof my machine.

Fig. 7 is aside elevation showing, in partial 5 construction thereof showingthe particular merits of our inventionas may be used either on a single or on a double deck machiney In this figure there is shown the independently rotatable table or shelf mountedabove the 0 top bunching table; but in cases'wher'ej it 1 maybe desiredthis independent shelf may be mounted between the tables or bearings supporting the same about the center supporting post for the tables; and where only one bunching table isused this independent rotating shelf would be, pivotally' mounted above the one table.

machine andthe preferred method-of operat- -3 ing the same we shall now/attempt to point I outsome of the merits thereof which weohave 1 found to'bepractical to use, economical'and a easy to make; and 'a big saver of timeand labor. I, w J 5 It will be evidentto the experienced truck gardener that a great deal of time and money. i

has been spentlunnecessarily on crude, awkbunching, and packing T asparagus and other.

veg'etables of similancharacter. i V r It is therefore. our (purpose to provlde :ji'n this machine a, means of systematizing'the operations, required for I asserting, bunching and packingjaspara-gus and the like when the same is being prepared for market. 7

H In studying the merits of our'machine it will be observed that we provide in connection with the'normal use thereof; other machines and devices adapted'to save time and facilitate the assorting, tying and packing of asparagus and the like. With this arrangement for instance the unassorted as-v paragus in box 1 is laid out on a conveyer belt 2 along the side of which workmen stand to assort asparagus .V3 andplace the stalks thereof of different sizes in boxes 4- as the conveyer belt 2 moves along.

After a sufficient quantity has been assorted then theoperatorplaces bunches of the asparagus and the like in the respective pockets or recesses around the periphery of the'bunching and conveyer machine shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3, i

A partial detail of this rotating table on which the asparagusis bunched is shown in Fig. 3, in which a group of asparagus stalks 3--' are preferably placed with the tops down so as to lean at an angle against .re-'

'cesses -5 and16 of ribs .7 and 8.- mounted soas to be disposed at right angles to the beveled face S)V of the rotating table I Rotating table -10 turns in a horizontal plane pivotally supported. at" the center; and

may be mechanicallyoperated by any one of a number of driving means but; preferably by a worm gear ,22 acting on. a gear wheel 12 driven by a belt 13,-- turning. shaft a tying machine 15 may conveniently pick the bunches off of table 10 and tie them with tying machine 15 and lay them in a container frolnwhich they are taken and trimmed after which they are 7 packed in shipping boxes.

is prov'ided around the outer and lower periphery of beveled edge 9'' of table +10 adapted to provide support for bunches or asparagus'and'the like when the same is placed in. recesses 5 and '6 A device of this character may be even con-L Itwill be understood that a-similar' device of small size may be used for other purposes tiles; r

in bunching andconveying other commodr jstructed with more than, one deck in, which one'rotating table above the otherfmay operate pivotally together as is shown in Figures 6 and 7; "where it will be seen that additional conveniences may be, pro- ;vided in a rotary'bunching an d conveyer machine embodying our invent-ion in which an An annular apron or stop member 11 I upper table 16 mounted to rotate on the same pivot support as table 10 and having a beveled surface 17 to which is secured peripheral ribs 18 and 19-- corresponding with ribs 7 and 8 on table 10' and provided with a group of uniformly spaced'recesses20 and 21 corresponding with recesses 5 and 6 of table 10. It. will also be noted that upper: table -.16 has an annular apron 23 used for the same purpose as apron 11 on table ,Pivot support 2etsupporting table 10 may also support table 16. An independently rotatable shelf 7. 25 is shown in Figures 6. and 7 to be mounted so as to be optionally rotated when carrying bunches of. asparagus and the like for distribution at suitable points about thebunche y ing and conveying tables. 'Where a second or top table ,l6 may not be needed then the independently rotatable shelf 25 would be pivotally mounted down near the surface of table 10 I Certain minor. changes may be made in the details -of structure of our device and still stay within the spirit and scope, of our invention. For instance we do not wish to be limited to anyparticular type of materials in making this device.

- Having thus described the nature of our device what we claim'is: V

A 1. A rotary bunching and conveying ma chine comprising a pivotally mounted horizontally. rotating table provided'with a plurality of annular peripheral pockets angu' larly disposed with respect to the horizontal planeof the table.- I V 2; A rotary bunching and conveyin tmachine comprising a plurality .of-spaced piv otally mounted concentric tables" simultaneouslyrotatable about a common axis, each provided with a plurality of annular peripheral bunching pockets. disposed at: an angle with the plane of the table on a beveled-peripheral plane. q I a 3. As anew article. of manufacture a 1'0- tarytable adapted to be mechanically and pivotallyturncd in a horizontal plane and provided with a plurality of peripheral bunching pockets arrangedin spaced relation andangularly disposed with "respect to the plane of the table; saidtable provided with an annular apron disposed'beneath-said pockets to-provide a holdingmember for the racks.

4;. As a new article of manufacture a rotary bunching and conveying table pivotally mounted foiflhorizontal rotation by mechanical means; said table provided with a peripheralbevel' disposed at a substantial angle with the plane of the table, a pair of parallelannular ribs dis osed at right angles to the plane of the bevel and each provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced and uniformly aligned approximately semi-circular grooves; and an annular apron dis posed about the lower edge of said bevel parallel with said ribs and adapted to provide stop means for holding vegetables within said grooves of the ribs.

5. A rotary bunching and conveying table adapted to be mechanically rotated in a horizontal plane and provided with an annular peripheral bevel plane disposed at an angle with the plane of the table; said angular plane provided with a pair of parallel spaced ribs having a plurality of'uniformly spaced pockets and an annular shelf stop member disposed below said pockets at approximate right angles to the plane of said bevel; said pockets of the ribs aligned for receiving and bunching asparagus and the like and adapted to convey the bunches to a predetermined position about the table for tying the bunches.

6. As a new article of manufacture a rotary machine comprising a plurality of tables rotatably mounted and supported for a horizontal rotation about a common axis; said tables each provided with an annular beveled plane having annular ribs uniformly spaced anddisposed at right angles to the plane of the bevel; said ribs provided with a plurality of approximately semi-circular grooves uniformly spaced; and an annular peripheral shelf member disposed below said grooves and approximately at right angles to said beveled plane of the table.

In witness whereof, we hereunto set our hands and seals this 22nd day of Mag, 1928.

LEWIS D. SPAULDIN MERGER D. .SPAULDING. MALCOLM F. SPAULDING. LEWIS G. SPAULDING.

7. A rotary bunching and conveying machine provided with tables simultaneously rotatable about a common axis; each table having an annular peripheral bevel; said bevel provided with annular peripheral ribs having a plurality of approximately semicircular recesses and an annular peripheral shelf member below said ribs providing stop means for vegetables adapted to be bunched in said recesses of the ribs and rotatably con-- I veyed by the table to a position aboutthe table for tying the bunches.

8. A rotary bunching and conveying machine adapted to be mechanically rotated in a horizontal plane and including a pivoted and mechanically rotatable table provided with an annular peripheral angular plane disposed at an angle with the plane of the table; said angular peripheral plane provided with parallel spaced'ribs having a pluralityof spaced and aligned pockets for receiving and forming bunches of asparagus and the like and conveying the same to predetermined positions about the table for tying; said machine provided with an in-' 

